Reach for vehicles.



No. 871,222- PATENTED NOV. 19, 1907.

H. HIGGIN.

REACH FOR VEHICLES.

A PPLIOATION FILED 00T.12, 1906.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR ATTORNEY planeof the dotted line 8, 8, of Fig. 6.

7 UNITED STATES HENRY HIGGIN, OF NEWPORT, KENTUCKY,

PATENT OFFICE.

ASSIGNOR TO THE HIGGIN' MANUFACTURING BEACH FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 19, 1907.

Application filed October 12. 1906. Serial No 333.628.

T cell whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY HIGGIN, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of the city of Newport, in the county of Campbell and Stateof'Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPerches and Reaches for Road-Vehicles, of which the following is aspecification.

The several features of my invention and the various advantagesresulting from their use conjointly or otherwise will be apparent fromthe following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings making a part of this application, and inwhich similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts,-Figure1 is a view in perspective of a road vehicle gear illustrating certainfeatures of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of eitherof the two perches shown in Fig, 1; said section being taken at anypoint along the perch between the points where the end portions arechanged in shape to interfit with the end irons. For definiteness ofreference, the section may be considered to be taken in the plane of thedotted line 2, 2, of Fig. 1 The observer should note not only that Fig.2 is on a scale enlarged over that of Fig. 1, but that in Fig. 2 theperch is shown as upside down, and the figure shows a bottom plan. Fig.3 shows a perspective view enlarged of that end portion of the perch andits heel connection, which is shown at the right hand in Fig. 1. In thisFig. 3, the :ottom side of the perch is uppermost. Fig. 4 is an enlargedperspective view, and presented to show the formation of the perch heelwhere it is in connection with the metal part which completes theconnection between the perch and the rear axle, or axle pillow. Fig. 5is a. vertical transverse section taken in the plane of the dotted line5, 5, of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of that end portion of theperch which is connected to the headblock or fifth wheel of the vehicle.Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse section taken in the plane of the dottedline 7, 7, of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a vertical transverse section taken intlie t shouldbe noted that in Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, the bottom of thereach is shown as uppermost, for the purpose of better illustrating theconstructions respectively therein shown. In the construction of thereach, the metal is preferably in the first instance a blank piece offlat metal which can be bent to the 1 subsequent shapes demanded by myinvention, without being broken, and without havmg its strength impairedby the bending or l com ression of it, as hereinafterspecified. I

emp oy in combination with this metal, a core or filler of wood. Thiswood is preferably a tough wood which is elastic and will bend withoutbeing broken. This wood is also preferably straight grained'and of onepiece for the entire length of the reach. Upon this wooden center pieceor filler, I bend the metal sheet B, so as not merely to inclose it onthree sides, viz. on the sides W, X and Y, but also so that -this metalsheet shall at least extend onto the side Z of the /ilZler1 for adistance from each of the edges In my preferred and most usefulconstruction, I construct the perch or reach A so that the outer surfaceof the metal shall be flush with the outer surface S of the wood at theside Z. I accomplish this in either one of two ways. One method is bycutting down the wood of the top Z on each side, thereby leavingrecesses R, R. The bent edges C, C, of the metal are forced into theserecesses. Another-method is by bending the ed es of the metal over anddown upon the wood, and then by pressure forcing them down andcompressing the wood beneath them. In some perches of wood (where a dropreach or perch is present), the perch is bent up and goes directly intothe headblock. In such cases, the perch itself takes the place of theiron extensions P, P, shown in Fig. 1. WVhen desired, my improved perchmay be bent up and be continued to the headblock, in which event theextensions P, P, are omitted. It is desirable to compress and shape theperch at the front end for its connections with extensions P, P, andwhere the porch is to be bent up and take the place of the extensions P,P, substantially as shown in Fig. 1, it is also desirable to compressand shape the front end portions of the perches therefor. It is alsodesirable to ,shape by compression the perch substantially as shown toadapt it to fit the connections of it to the rear axle. I accomplishsuch requisite compressions after the wood is in the filler and themetal has been bent upon and around the wood and to place as heretoforespecified, by next compressing the entire structure at the places of itwhich are to receive the desired new conformation, into the shape ofsaid cally. The perch will endure a great torsional strain.

Under each and all of these strains to which road vehicles areordinarily subject, the perch will, when relieved from the strain,return to its first, that is, its original position.

Whenever as in my preferred construc tion, on the side Z, the surface Sof the filler between the flanges C, C, of the perch is flush with theouter surface of the metal flanges C, C, the washers D rest equally onthe flanges and the surface S, and press equally on the metal and thewooden portions ofthe perch, when the nut D of the bolt D with whichthey are respectively used, is tightened upon the perch. The compressionis there equilateral, and therefore obviously for this reason anadvantageous one. The same advantages for the clip 1), employed with abolt D, and nut D are present, when the surface S of the wood and thesurfaces of these metal flanges C, C, are in the same plane.

Wherever in the foregoing description and in the claims the word perchoccurs without the word reach, it is to be understood as in cluding theterm reach.

What I claim as new, and of my invention and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is

1. A perchcomposed of a metal plate bent to form a three sided tube andhaving its fourth side partially closed by flanges, be'nt from the sidesof the tube, leaving an open slit, and a wooden filler in said tube,said filler having a ridge thereon, fitting in said slit, substantiallyas described.

2. A perch composed of a metal plate bent to form a three-sided tube andhavin its fourth side partially closed by flanges Tent inwardly from thesides of said tube and a wooden filler in said tube having a ridgethereon fittin between said flanges, said flanges and ridge forminga-flat surface, substantially as described.

3. A perch composed of a metal plate bent to form a three sided tube andhaving flanges bent inwardly from its sides, leaving a slit, a woodenfiller in said tube, having a ridge fitting in said slit, the endportions of said perch,

including both the wood and metal portions, being compressed and bent,substantially as described.

HENRY HIGGIN. Attest:

K. SMITH, STARBUOK SMITH.

